The World Cup

Possibly the world’s biggest sporting event: the FIFA World Cup?FIFA ???), has kicked off on July 9th in Brazil (??). The tournament, which occurs every 4 years, sees the world’s top football teams challenge each other in the ultimate competition for the world’s most prestigious prize.

Fans from countries all over the world are known for their zeal, sometimes going over extreme lengths to show their admiration for their teams, but Chinese fans are also one-of-a-kind when it comes to worshipping the tournament and its teams. Although the Chinese football team failed to qualify, Chinese fans are extremely hyped for the event. Hundreds of millions of fans tune in every World Cup and the consequences for such fanaticism, especially with an 8-hour time zone difference have created strange, funny and sometimes troublesome stories!

One amusing account is that off a man ending up getting locked in his store for staying up too late, another tragic account being that of a man dying because of World Cup induced restlessness. Another man was seen on the streets asking for a more “humane boss” after he was fired from his job for watching the World Cup. Apparently, one of his superiors saw the man posting about a match on Internet and told him “no need to come to work tomorrow”.

The origins of football are still a hotly debated topic today; the subject is highlighted more so every 4 years when the World Cup is held. If a typical European football fan was asked if the beautiful game originated in China, they would see such a statement as comical. However, some say that some form of football was indeed played in China as far back as 10,000 years ago. As the argument between nations around the world continues as to who invented football, China can be proud that they could well have been the first nation to play the game.

The earliest documented group of players to identify themselves as a football team was the “Foot-ball club” based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The club was active for just three years from 1821-1824. The first international friendly was played in 1870 between Scotland and England, a match which subsequently ended in a 0-0 draw.

For those who have yet to visit China and behold its enormous advancements, it would be difficult to imagine football stadiums such as those seen around Europe being present in China. But what people don’t know is that China’s football culture is growing at unprecedented rates. While the Men’s Team dubbed “The Dragon” or “The Great Wall” has effectively failed to qualify for this year’s World Cup, China’s Football clubs are growing quickly as interest grows and as more people are interested and willing to invest in them, which in turns attracts better players, coaches and many more fans. China holds some truly impressive football stadiums, with capacities to challenge any stadia within Europe and the world. The Beijing National Stadium for example has an impressive capacity of 91,000.

As China develops both economically and socially, it would be to foresee a World Cup taking place in the coming years without a notable Chinese presence. As millions of Chinese fans enthusiastically cheer on in support of their chosen teams during the World Cup in Brazil, many will be hoping that the Chinese national team will be joining the party at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

With TailorMade Chinese Center the World Cup isn’t just about football, it’s also about learning Chinese! Here are so useful words for you to practice with:

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